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First Choice Boxers: Good Pattern!

Sewing clothing for guys is fun, even their underwear!!

I found this awesome Washington state fabric at Pacific Fabrics, one of my local fabric stores, and I just couldn’t resist making my husband a pair of First Choice boxers. Isn’t it great? Look at all these images of iconic Washington state places, animals, and plants; Mount Baker, eagles, tulips, Walla Walla sweet onions, moose, Mount Rainier, and loads more. Perfect for a guy born, raised, and happily residing in Washington!

I love these boxers, and my husband thinks they are pretty cool, too. I think the 5-panel styling makes this pattern especially roomy and comfy to wear, although I can’t really say they were a fast and easy make. Definitely a bit more fiddly than one might think to assemble. Flat felled seams, after all. Thank goodness I have a felling foot. It makes felling so.much.faster! (But really hon, anything for your comfort. 😉 )

You could, of course, skip the felled seams and serge them instead, but I thought I would try making this pattern with all the bells and whistles at least one time. No promises for anyÂ future pairs tho, as I could totally see banging out a few boxers quickly on my serger assembly-line style.

I do like that theÂ waistband comes out very clean and flat, but it is fussy too. Pressing the top edge down. Four rows of stitching on the elastic. No picture of it, but the join of the elastic is covered with a bit of fabric to keep everything flat and nicely finished. Fiddly, but definitely finished well.

Fiddly or no, I will definitelyÂ make First Choice boxers again for my DH. I have quite a few pieces of leftover cotton shirting that will make scrumptious, silky boxers for him, and at the same time help clean out some of my overflowing stash. Win-win!

For the next iteration, one thing I do want to work on is the topstitching around the fly.

See what I mean? You don’t see this kind of topstitching on RTW boxers. It might involve a pattern drafting change, but I think the right side of the fly looks unprofessional, don’t you?

Have you ever sewn boxers? What did you like, or not like, about the process? Do you have a favorite pattern?

Happy sewing!

Maris

Label yourself

I have been wanting woven labels for my garments for a long time, but somehow theÂ task of finding just the right company to order from never got to the top of my to-do list.

And then I received a lovely email from the Dutch Label Shop, offering me complimentary labels in exchange for reviewing their product. I jumped!

The Dutch Label Shop offers several options for brand labels, which is exactly what I was looking for. You can either go for a “stock” type label that offers a set of fonts, colors, and Â symbols, or you can upload your own custom logo label.Â They also offer care, hang tags, and stock labels, but asÂ I am not selling any of my creations, I have no real need for these items.

You can start off very simply (like I did), and select the basic woven label option. Next youÂ just chooseÂ the label size, color, font, and an image from their “symbol” library, and BAM! You almost have a label! Type the text you want to appear (up to 3 lines), and then check the preview to make sure the label will look as you intend. Pretty awesome, and definitely straightforward, right?

I ordered two sets of labels. My first choice was the 2.4x.6 inch size, and as you can see, I picked red. Kind of a no-brainer as that is one of my brand colors. 🙂 I was also super jazzed that Dutch Label Shop has a button that looks just like the one on my logo, so I added that cute little symbol. I love the clean, simple look of these labels!

I also ordered a set of the 2.4x.8 size labels, just to see if I preferred a larger size. I will have to see after I add them to a few garments, but at first blush I think I prefer the smaller size, since I have a minimal amount of text on myÂ labels. What do you think? Is bigger better?Â I was also a teensy bit disappointed in the shade of blueâ€”I was expecting it to be moreÂ turquoise. Darn computer monitors! I think this is something to keep in mind when ordering your own labels. If you want a really specific color (or 6!), the best option is to uploadÂ your own logo artwork. Lesson learned, and I plan to correct this on my next order.

I am very pleased with the quality of these labels. The woven design looks crisp and clean, and the fabric feels smooth and soft. If you have been considering ordering custom labels, I definitely recommend that you give the Dutch Label Shop a go. They were nice enough to pass on a savings to all you awesomeÂ readers, so be sure to use the code “sewmaris” andÂ save 15%. Have fun labeling!

Happy sewing!

Maris

Up Your Shirt-Making Game

You can make a nice, tailored shirt for your man (or yourself!)……

or you can make a damn great SHIRT!

It’s all in the details, isn’t it? Love that contrast fabric on the inside of the cuffs and collar stand.

Ohhh, check out thatÂ perfectly matched pocket. With contrast piping. And the upper pocket edge set on the bias. And lower pocket edge shaped toÂ mimic the cuff edge diagonal shape.

Love how aÂ bias yokeÂ looks onÂ plaid shirts!

This navy/burgundy/royal plaidÂ is by far my favorite made-by-me shirt. I had such fun designing all the little touches that make this shirt one-of-a-kind, and I really hoped my son wouldÂ like it, too. I sent both the navy plaid and the black/grey stripe to him for his birthday in February, and he loved them both! The stripe is perfect for appearing in court (he’s the attorney, not the defendant! 🙂 ), and the plaid for grabbing a beer and pizza after work with his girlfriend. Win/win!

(BTW – don’t men’s shirts look funny on women’s dress forms? What’s a gal to do tho? None of my guysÂ are very willing models, Â and neither of my sons live close by either.Â So, ignore the, ummm,Â shaping. 😉 )

Happy sewing!
Maris

Jalie 3353: Almost Instant Gratification

Sometimes all you want is a fast and easy-to-sew project.

You might need to fill a “hole” in your wardrobe, or maybe you want to use up a fabric from your stash. You could even be sick of fiddling with a complicated project that just won’t sew itself!

Enter Jalie Cocoon cardigan. JustÂ 4 pattern pieces; front, back, sleeve cuff, and circular band. A few instructions that you barely need to reference (sew front to back at shoulder/sleeve seam, sew sleeve/side seam; apply cuffs, sew band pieces into a circle and attach to sweater) and this baby isÂ done and done! Not even 1 hour of sewing time!

Cocoon sweaters are “in” again this season, and for a good reason. They are comfy, can be made from a variety of knit fabrics, and the shape can be adjusted slightly to flatter most figures. Oh and yes, they are a very quick sew!

While I do definitely like cocoon sweaters,Â I am not a fan of the styles with wide, batwing-ish sleeves. Too.Much.Fabric. The slimmer silhouette of Jalie 3353Â worksÂ just about perfectly for my design aesthetic.

One thing. I did find the sleeves on this pattern to be a bit short and wide for my taste. After shooting these pix, I removed at least 3 inches from the lower sleeve circumference, and added a longer cuff to get the overall sleeve length I wanted. The sleeves was just too floppy, IMHO.

It is an easy pattern change – just removeÂ an equal amount from the upper sleeve seam and the lower sleeve seam. I determined the amount to remove by basting first, trying on for fit, and then serging off the excessÂ width.

I plan to make this sweater again using a yummy, red bamboo sweater knit currently resting in my stash.Â This pattern is a great topper forÂ pants and a tee, and provides just the right amount of warmth. I think it is a keeper!

What do you think of this silhouette? Have you ever tried wearing or making a cocoon-style sweater?

Happy sewing!

Maris

Vogue 1043 Review

There are times when a pattern just calls your name.

You know what I am talking about. Those times when a pattern can transport you to a different life. In this case, one that does not include washing dishes or cleaning bathrooms.Â But DOES includeÂ wearing crinolines. 🙂

I don’t really have that many occasions to wear a silk “party” dress. But at a recent ASG dinner we were hosting some lovely ladies from McCall’s Pattern Company, and had been asked to wear a garment made from any of the McCall’s family of patterns. Vogue is usually my McCall’s pattern company of choice, and since I had the black silk dupioni, Bemberg lining, pattern, AND vintage mother-of-pearl belt buckle in my stash, how could I resist?

This pattern is really an easy sew. I have only made one other vintage reproduction pattern, and found it to be easy to assemble as well. The one change I did make was to fully line the top, rather than applying facings. I decided not to line the skirt, because as usual I was short on construction time and needed to get.it.done. I may go back and add a skirt lining later, but those big ole almost-circle-skirts take a lot of fabric and I am not sure I want to use up my Bemberg lining stash for this dress.

I hand-picked the zipper in place, mostly because I was terrified to machine stitch over the folds of the tuck on the bodice. That just seemed like a hot mess waiting to happen.Â With all the texture on silk dupioni no one could tell if my stitches are even and consistently placed or not. Winning!

Love the sleeve gussets. A little fiddly to set in, but not that bad. Of course because I linedÂ the bodiceÂ I got to do it 4 times instead of just 2. Serves me right, eh?

The one fitting/wearing issue with this dress is keeping the upper front edges of the bodice laying flat and smooth. Part of this issue I probably created myself by pulling the stay tape a bit too tight. You know me – if a little is good, more is better, right? I added a small section of boning to each side after construction (stitched to the seam allowance), but I don’t think it helped too much. Maybe more boning? This is a good application for body tape, which I did wear at the Sew Expo dinner. I will try it once without tape, and see how annoying it is before attempting to redo the boning. Talk about fiddly!

I.LOVE.THIS.DRESS.

IÂ would loveÂ to make it again in a light cotton voile for summer. A Liberty fabric would be gorgeous, but would cost a fortune to make up.

Have you ever sewn a vintage or a vintage reproduction pattern? Do you consider “vintage” part of your style?

Happy sewing,

Maris

Sequins are a (little) girl’s best friend

Sometimes after a prolongedÂ preoccupation with shirt-making, a 15 minute sewing project is welcome.

I give you the pull-on sequin skirt. Best for little girls, tho maybe under the right circumstances….. 🙂

Last week I saw a cutie-pie in the grocery store wearing a sequin skirt with her rain boots, and knew my boot-wearing-granddaughter (who loves all things sparkly, princess-y, and jewel-like) would totallyÂ lose her mind to have one just like it. True confession: I have NEVER sewn on sequined fabric before. (Tho you can barelyÂ call the wimpy-netting-sequin-y stuff fabric.) Â True confession: I boughtÂ this stuffÂ at Jo-ann Fabrics. Not my fave fabric store. True confession: I never made anything so frivolous and impractical for my daughters. Something I now greatly regret and am trying to make amendsÂ for with my grand.

Easy-peasy quick sew. I cut the fabric using an almost-ready-for-a-new-blade rotary cutter so the sequins didn’t dull a freshÂ blade instantly. Stitched up the one seam using a triple zig-zag stitch. Don’t ask me whyâ€”it just seemed like a good idea! Made a circle of purple fold-over elastic and used the same triple zig-zag stitch to attach to oneÂ end of the skirt tube, thereby making it the skirt waist.

Done and done. Nope, no hemming. No finishing of any kind. Fifteen minutes and it was all over but the photographing. Shirley (my dear mom, my first sewing teacher, and the goddess of sewing perfection) is definitely rolling over in her grave. 😉

The cutie I saw wearing the inspiration skirt styled it with leggings underneath, a Â knit top, and rain boots. So Pacific Northwest! If I can capture my DGD wearing this skirt I will be sure to grab a snap or too for photo evidence.

I definitely recommend this skirt for a quick palate-cleansing sewing project. Have you ever sewn a sparkly sequin garment for a little girl? For yourself? It was so.much.easier than I thought it would be! Maybe there are some sparkles in my future, too. 😉

Happy sewing!

Maris

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